New trend of nursing schools turning away applicants due to staffing shortages, local programs weigh in

DELMARVA – “I’m hoping that this will be another wakeup call. COVID was one, this is another one,” Dr. Richardson said.

More than 78,000 qualified applicants were not accepted to nursing schools across the nation in 2022 according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.  Most of that was due to staffing concerns, which are also present at Delaware State University. Program Director Dr. Agnes Richardson says they’re in need of several adjunct professors for their program. “Because without it, your students can’t not get into the clinical agencies. Also, we have to keep in mind the ratios of what is mandated to make sure that we’re in full compliance of that,” Dr. Richard

Wor-Wic Community College is also need of part-time faculty, especially during busy semesters. Department Head Brenda Mister said they’ve also had to grapple with retirements. “Thats always a challenge because we’re losing experienced, seasoned faculty,” she said.

Over at Salisbury University, staffing isn’t the issue. Director Dr. Debrah Webster said they’ve actually seen a slight dip in the number of applicants. Yet, recent funding from the Maryland Higher Education Commission looks to increase enrollment. “We’ve been working on expanding by about 20-25% with increasing our student enrollments. We have not been turning away students. We’ve actually been admitting all the qualified applicants we have,” Dr. Webster said.

Dr. Webster added that they’ve also formed a nursing faculty initiative which put together a study with a focus on trying to resolve the nursing shortage.  She told us heir answer was actively recruiting former nurses and giving them new direction. “They go through a rigorous, six-week program that we offer that requires them to give back and to actually work for a couple of years in the nursing field in an educational role,” Dr. Webster said.

Dr. Richardson said DSU welcomed more than 60 students in their recent class and expect that number to increase. She added that’s why she says they’re rigorously recruiting to be able to teach the nurses that are needed in our communities.

Salisbury University also utilizes the Lead Nursing Forward resource. The website helps job seekers, academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and more connect and learn more about the profession.